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Football in Afghanistan
Founded in 1933 and affiliated to FIFA since 1948, the Afghanistan Football Federation and the national team lay dormant for many years. In fact, the side did not play a competitive international match from 1984 until 2002, when they competed at the Asian Games in Busan, Korea. The results were not positive - they lost 10-0 to Iran, 11-0 against Qatar and 11-0 to Lebanon - but with international assistance and the help of FIFA's Goal Programme, Afghanis will again be able to watch their national team, this time as they try to reach the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany. Of course, that goal is a long way off, but the side did record its first victory in almost 20 years in March 2003 when they beat Kyrgyzstan 2-1 in an Asian Cup qualifying match. Sayeed Tahir Shah and Farid Azami were the scorers on that day. Their results in the 8-nation South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup were also respectable – losing to Sri Lanka and Pakistan 1-0 and India 4-0. Unfortunately, the Afghanis were unable to overcome the first hurdle in Asian qualifying for Germany '06. They were clearly outmatched in the away match of their two-legged tie with Middle Asian side Turkmenistan, giving up two early goals and eventually falling 11-0. In the return leg, Afghanistan showed their enthusiasm and spirit, losing by a much more respectable scoreline of 2-0. However, that promise will have to wait for another tournament to be fulfilled. Afghanistan took part in the 1948 Olympic tournament, playing just once in a 6-0 defeat to Luxembourg. They also appeared twice at the Asian Games but otherwise have no major international track record to speak of. The following years saw the team occasionally involved in fruitless Asian Cup qualifiers, but in early 2003 they celebrated their fist victory, a 2-1 win against Nepal. History of Football Teams in Afghanistan The first football games to be played in Afghanistan were played between 4 school teams back in 1923, these four teams were Maktab Habibiyeh, Maktab Esteghlal, Tafrih Team and Mohajer Team. The first football club to be founded in Afghanistan was Mahmoudiyeh F.C. which was founded in 1934. Three years later the team traveled to India and took part in 18 games of which won 8, lost 9 and tied 1. The second football club to be founded in Afghanistan was Ariana Kabul F.C. which was founded in 1941. This team traveled to Tehran upon invitation from Iran, played 3 games of which won 1 and lost 2. In the same year Afghanistan national football team(which was in fact Ariana Kabul F.C.) was formed when they played Iran in a 0-0 draw for first international game. Football Structure The main league in the country is the Afghan Premier League, which consists of 8 teams from the nation. Since the Afghan Premier League was founded in 2012, the other league, Kabul Premier League, has lived on in the shadows of the Premier League and almost died down. But in 2017, the Football Federation of Afghanistan hosted a regional tournament for many of the teams from the old Kabul League. There is also a league for Women: Women Kabul League, which consist of 17 teams from Kabul. Stadiums *Ghazi Stadium, Kabul *Hirini Stadium, Libom External links *Afghanistan Football Federation Category:Football in Afghanistan